After
by vadershelmet
Summary: Follows the life of the characters after the movie. Enjoy! Reviews are always appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone. This story will follow the adventures of the various characters after the movie. Rated T for now because I'm unsure about some of the later chapters, so just consider the content of the movie and decide from there. I wanted a touchy-feely story before I began my action/adventure ones, and this was the only family movie I genuinely enjoyed. Reviews are appreciated.**

One Week After: The Rosemoor Animal Park had officially been open for one week, and business was booming. Benjamin Mee was very pleased with this. He had overcome his initial doubts and had embraced his role as zookeeper. The increase in business had also led to several refurbishments, both in the house and around the property. _It was a great time to be alive_, thought Benjamin. He looked from his spot near the entrance to his children. Rosie was exuberantly talking to several people about the peacocks she had come to love. Dylan was speaking to a large family about his artwork, which had been incorporated into several exhibits around the zoo. He was distracted from his observations by the figure walking from the house towards him. _Kelly._ He had only gone out with her once, for drinks after the zoo's grand opening, and he had fallen for her head over heels. She had helped him move on with his life, and given him comfort all the while. "Can I help you, miss?" he joked. "Cut it out" she said, her smile ruining her mock displeasure. "You miss me already, huh?" Benjamin asked. "No, it's time to start funneling people out. Gotta close up shop sometime." she said. "Alright boss." He said, and gave a mock salute. She was the head zookeeper, after all. Laughing, she walked off towards some of the larger groups of people. Benjamin pulled out his walkie-talkie and relayed Kelly's message to the other employees.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just as a heads up, the time where the story takes place is consistent with the other chapters until I note it. Now for part 2! **

Dylan Mee sighed as he watched the last visitors leave the zoo. He was still sweating heavily from the midsummer heat, even though the sun was descending into the western sky. He headed back up the path in time to see the adults enter the Jaguar Restaurant, the usual hangout spot after the day was done. The only person not there was Rosie, who was with the newly-hatched peacocks in front of the house. And of course, Lily. They had developed a routine of sorts after opening day. She would wait for him after closing, and they would both head up to the roof until the Jaguar cleared out. He smiled when he saw her, as he did every day at this time. _Who needs friends when you've got the most beautiful girl you've ever seen all to yourself? _, he thought. "Hey Dylan!" she said enthusiastically. "Hey yourself", he said, provoking a chuckle from her. They exchanged some light banter as they made their way up to the roof. They sat down, and Dylan pulled out his sketchbook. They sat their talking about many things, from the success of the zoo to their favorite foods. Every so often, Dylan would look up at her, and then return to his drawing. Curious, Lily asked; "What are you drawing?" "Hold on" he said, "I'm almost done." After a few seconds, he held his book up. She turned crimson at what she saw. It was a beautifully detailed rendition of her. She laughed with pure joy and settled in closer to him, their faces now inches apart. Lily leaned in closer. _Oh my god, she's going to kiss me! _ Dylan thought. He couldn't control himself as he too leaned in. He could feel sparks flying as they got closer, closer still. _Ohmygodwhatdoidoisthisforrea lholycrap_, thought Dylan. "DYLAN!" Benjamin cried. Dylan snapped his head away and turned towards his father's voice. "It's time to come in, Dyl." Benjamin said. Luckily for the two teens, Benjamin Mee was unaware of what had gone on above his head. "So, um, I'll see you tomorrow…" Dylan said hesitantly. "I guess so." Lily said, trying as hard as she could to hide her disappointment. He helped her down and then waved as she walked towards her aunt's house. He then walked inside his house, his heart pounding from the kiss that almost was. His feelings were a mixture of relief and disappointment. He tried his best to act nonchalant as he sat down with Rosie and his father for the evening meal.

**I decided to end here, and pick up with Lily later. Until next time…**


	3. Chapter 3

As Lily walked back to the house she shared with her aunt and Kelly, her mind raced. The drawing, the closeness, the awkward departure, everything raced through her mind. As she went in the hiuse and shut the door behind her, she saw Kelly watching her. Kelly could tell something was amiss. Lily was usually bubbly and energetic. Now she seemed incredibly flustered, almost sad. Kelly knew she had been with Dylan. Truth be told, she didn't entirely trust the boy, although she wouldn't dare say that to Benjamin. Sure, Dylan had shaped up after he had settled things with his father. But there had been a few instances where his moodiness and angst would return, mainly when he was reprimanded for doing a job incorrectly. His eagerness to make his father proud again had led to a few slip-ups, but he had done okay the past few days. Kelly decided to keep her distance, knowing that Lily would talk to her if she was really upset. She considered asking Benjamin if he knew anything, but decided against it. For a journalist, the many was pretty clueless when it came to his son's relationship with her cousin. Lily didn't even greet her as she traversed the living room to her own room, where she quietly shut the door. "Just give her time." Her mother said, having observed Lily's behavior. Kelly knew she was right. She then resolved to inquire the next day, when things had hopefully become clearer to Lily.


	4. Chapter 4

**Just as a heads up, the timeframe may suddenly jump to further in the year. I wanted some of the chapters to coincide with the holidays, because if I follow my original timeframe then we'll be seeing Thanksgiving in January. Again, if the time skips way forward, you haven't missed anything. Now for the story! **

Chapter Four-  Benjamin was watching his son curiously as they were eating dinner. His son was usually talkative at the dinner table, but tonight Dylan had said only a few words. Benjamin wondered whether it had something to do with Lily. Dylan had made up with her after Benjamin had delivered some fatherly wisdom, and the two had been almost inseparable since. Was there something going on behind the scenes? Was their friendship just a façade for something more? Benjamin was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Rosie trying to get his attention. "DAAAAAAAAAAAD!" she yelled. "Huh, what? I'm sorry honey, what did you say?" trying to put his thoughts in the back of his mind for later. "I said, I have something important to tell you." Dylan's head snapped up, immediately tuning in to his sister. Had she seen what had happened? Had he and Lily been so careless that a little girl was able to tell what was going on? "I think Bruce is making babies with Lulu." she said, referring to two of the peacocks. Dylan sighed in relief and resolved to pay attention, in case something came up that required a little….. stretching of the truth. "I see. Well, maybe Kelly can help you figure it out." His father said to Rosie. She hoped Kelly would say yes, because she wanted more baby peacocks to look after. The rest of the meal proceeded with relative silence, and eventually dishes were placed in the sink. Rosie ran to the living room to watch TV, living father and son alone. Benjamin stopped Dylan as he was placing his plate in the dishwasher. The dishwasher, along with a flat screen TV was added to bring the old house into the modern era. "Is everything okay?" Benjamin asked. "You seem a little distracted tonight. Is there something going on that I should know about?" "Oh, no, everything's fine. I swear." Dylan said. Benjamin didn't entirely believe his son, but decided not to pursue it I fear of another big argument. Relations between the two had improved, but Benjamin didn't want to lose any ground over something his son wanted to keep private. Not questioning any further, Benjamin watched Dylan walk upstairs and in to his room, shutting the door behind him.

**We'll continue next with the awkwardness between the teens and maybe see some other characters that have been absent so far. **


	5. Chapter 5

**I've been pretty busy lately, so I haven't updated this in a long while. However, based on the traffic that I've seen for this story, it's doing pretty well. (A lot better than my other story.) Way more people checked this out than I thought which really puts me in a good mood. I'm thinking this "arc", if you will, will be finishing up soon. I mean, you can only carry this on for so long, right? Right. Next I'll move into the start of school and some holiday-themed stories. That's all for now! **

Chapter Five- Lily had been dreading this. It was a new day, and at the end of this day, she would have to face Dylan. Truth be told, she would rather have Buster the bear eat her alive than have to talk to him again. _Who does that? _she asked herself. _What kind of person runs away from a kiss? I could have at least planted a quick one on his cheek or something. Stupid, stupid, stupid. _Her thoughts were interrupted when Kelly walked into her room. "I think I know what's going on here." she said after a long breath. "This has something to do with Dylan, doesn't it?" When Lily failed to answer, Kelly repeated the question. "You don't have to be afraid to tell me these things. I've dated my fair share, don't forget." Lily thought for a moment, then drew a long breath, and then began. She recounted the night's events, including every painstaking detail. The last part made Kelly cringe. When the tale was finished, there was silence. Kelly replayed the story in her head. She didn't know whether she was mad at Benjamin for ruining her cousin's moment, or at Dylan for trying to sweep her away like that. She kept picturing Lily as the little girl she had once babysat, instead of the young woman she was quickly becoming. "Lily." she began, "I stopped telling you what do a long time ago. You're perfectly capable of handling this yourself. As much as I want to, I can't control your relationships. You need to decide what's best." Lily had known this was coming. But after she had thought and listened, she had a plan. "Thanks Kelly." she said. She wrapped her arms around the older woman, a gesture which Kelly gladly returned. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Lily was a woman now. She only hoped that her cousin didn't go out there only to have her heart broken. God knew Kelly had. They sat there on the bed until it was time for work.

The zoo was closed. The gates were sealed. The lights turning on. Dylan's heart was about to beat out of his chest. She was coming. Unlike him, she exuded self-confidence, even happiness. She walked up and stood in front of him. Before he could say a single word, she pulled him close and pressed her lips against hers. He was shocked at first. Then, panic turned to passion. He wrapped his arms around her, and they finally pulled away. "That was….I never….you were…" she placed a finger on his lips. "I love you, too." They stood there for a long time, swaying back and forth. They embraced until their legs were sore. When it was time to say goodnight, they did it right this time. _Exactly _right. Unbeknownst to the young lovers, the entire exchange, every little detail, had been witnessed by one Benjamin Mee.


	6. Author's Note

**Author's Note: I haven't had time to continue with this, so disregard the previous plans I had made for this story. This isn't abandoned, so no worries. I don't know when the next update will come, but it will be soon. By the way, a great song that can be paired with the end of the last chapter is "Far Away" by Nickleback. Check it out!**


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